LAHORE: Five terrorists were killed and another was arrested during a joint operation by Punjab Rangers and security agencies in Chhera Thal area of Dera Ghazi Khan on Sunday.

“A special intelligence-based operation (IBO) under Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad was launched in the Chhera Thal area,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.

According a press statement issued by the Rangers, a security personnel was martyred during the shootout. “Sepoy Kamran embraced shahadat, while DSR Haroon sustained injuries. They have been evacuated to CMH Multan by an army helicopter,” the Rangers said.

The operation still continues to flush the area of terrorists who were involved in heinous crimes, including murdering policemen.

“Almost 35 FIRs had been registered against them in various police stations. Chhera Thal is a small border town, 40 kilometres south-west of Fort Munroe in Dera Ghazi Khan. It is a tribal area of the Punjab, where the writ of law enforcement agencies is nonexistent and hardened criminals had dug in and developed safe havens,” the statement said.

“Sepoy Kamran Afzal, the son of Muhammad Afzal, a resident of Jaranwala, embraced shahadat early in the morning during an operation in the tribal belt area of the Punjab. The brave soldier of Pakistan Rangers (Punjab) had eight years of service. He had recently completed his anti-terrorist training. As part of Special Operations Rangers Troops (SORT), he was posted in DG Khan to take part in operations against terrorists,” the statement said.

Larkana: Separately, the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) started a search operation against terrorists in Sukkur and Larkana divisions on Sunday.

Larkana CTD SP Abdullah Ahmed said that the operation had been launched in Sukkur-Larkana divisions after security agencies received information that terrorists had entered into Sindh from Balochistan.

He said that the security had been tightened. “CTD officials have started searching hotels, restaurants, rented houses, passenger coaches coming from both sides of Sindh- Balochistan,” he said.

“The terrorists are from the Hafeez Birohi group, who is involved in Sehwan, Shikarpur, Jacobabad blasts in which several innocent people were killed,” he said.

Police had carried out 205 search operations in Sukkur-Larkana divisions during last nine months, in which nine terrorists were arrested and 11 were killed.

Earlier on Saturday, at least 10 suspected terrorists were killed in an ‘encounter’ with the CTD in Lahore’s Manawan area. Among those killed was Anwarul Haq, the alleged facilitator of The Mall suicide bomber.

Fifteen people, including DIG Captain (r) Syed Ahmed Mubeen and SSP Zahid Akram Gondal, had lost their lives in the attack. During interrogation, Haq had revealed that he had brought the suicide attacker to Lahore and had later taken him to The Mall where he blew himself up. The CTD had later arrested four more terrorists from various areas of the province based on the information provided by Haq. CTD officials said that they were taking Haq and the four other suspects to Manwan late on Saturday to recover explosives hidden there. “Their accomplices attacked the police party and tried to free the terrorists. When CTD personnel returned fire, 10 terrorists were killed, including Anwarul Haq, Attaul Rehman, Imam Shah and Irfan Khan. The rest of those killed are yet to be identified,” CTD officials said.

Also on Saturday, Quetta police on Saturday seized an explosive-laden vehicle in Chaman and arrested three people, including a suspected suicide bomber.

Police said the terrorists were planning to launch a major terrorist attack in the area, adding that a team of the bomb disposal squad had been sought to defuse the explosives. The vehicle, they said, was coming from Afghanistan.

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